20 Bullets
by Queen Datsuh
Summary: 20 bullets 20 oneshots. 20 bullets for your guns. 20 angsty oneshots 1500 words or more. Each one deals with the pains, problems, or tribulation of particular characters. Will he or she be comforted or left to deal with it alone. Discontinued.
1. B1: Empty Shell

_**50 Bullets**_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**_Bullet 1: Empty Shell_**

The wind blew at Gaara's red hair as he sat silently at the edge of the cliff.

It had been two years since the Chunin Exams at which he first fought Rock Lee. Two long years where as time went on the days ran into each other and besides his usual purpose of living, there was for the most part little or no pleasure. His eyes scanned the landscape seeing all of nature's bountiful glory. Like the beautiful girl raising her skirt a little for a little extra of your garnered attention. But nature, this figurative girl, was showing her beautiful glory to the wrong person. Gaara cared not for such things. He could as easily kill that beautiful girl; destroy this bountiful forest, as he'd walk by either of them without batting an eyelash.

Gaara was indeed interested in something in this vast forest. But it wasn't the foliage, the animals or the overall scenery, which encompassed of animals of all shapes and sizes, rivers, trees and everything big and small that brought out the forest's beauty. And it definitely wasn't the sweet twittering of beautiful birds, the sounds of this bountiful wonderful wonderland, none of that interested Gaara in the least. He wasn't the type.

What interested him were two people he saw lying by the river. He watched as they laughed and talked. Not able to hear what they were saying clearly. But Gaara was certain that overall he could guess. All that stupid lovey dovey kissy stuff.

The female lay next to the male who seemed so animated hat it was a surprise that he was even able to sit down much less lie down for more than a minute.

Every once in a while the male would jump to his feet and re-enact some story or past actual event and the female would either laugh her head off or pull him down and conk him on the head. Once she even made a threatening motion towards her main weapon. That fateful fan. Back at the preliminary years ago Gaara witnessed Tenten fall to this fan. Others had fallen before. More have fallen since. Gaara knew the female beside the male very well. She and his brother made up their team. Teams of three.

The male with his teammate also had a team of his own. The other two members were Neji Hyuuga and Tenten. Gaara remembered hating that one male more than any other Genin ninja he had fought since arriving in Konoha, Village Hidden in the Leaves. The ninja's name was Rock Lee and this one was determined to advance using his own ninja way. A ninja way involving no ninjitsu or genjustsu. Gaara thought he was a joke when he went to face him that day. A joke he'd easily conquer, crush, and kill. But it turned out very differently. Gaara knew that Rock Lee's skills could've just as easily won him the match as it made him lose since Gaara's own proved superior. A different flip of the coin and he would've been the loser. Not the one who got the opportunity to move on and face Konoha's Genin favourite, Sasuke Uchiha of the almost extinct Uchiha clan. Rock Lee was a surprise opponent. He actually stood his ground and even faced Gaara in defeat. When he wasn't even conscious. Gaara would never admit it. But that astounded him.

What also astounded him was the love and care of Rock Lee's sensei, Gui. Gui interrupted the match to save his pupil's life. Gaara was unable to understand it. Rock Lee had failed. Failures deserved death the most. The world didn't need failures. But Gui saw something in Rock Lee Gaara couldn't comprehend. Rock Lee was like a broken tool in Gaara's mind. What would anyone need or even want in that? Gaara couldn't understand. But Gui thought that Rock Lee was important, someone who meant a lot to him. Gui loved him. Gaara had never experienced that from his trainers. They feared him, hated him, and were wary of him and his killer tendencies. His very brother sometimes couldn't bear the very sight of him.

After that preliminary was when Gaara really wanted to kill him. Rock Lee. As a Genin two years ago Rock Lee got under his skin at a level that drove Gaara even further into madness. His purpose in life was to kill everyone but him. He had long decided that. But Rock Lee made him take a slight detour in his purpose. While he was determined to kill others, Rock Lee made the top of his hit list. His second attempt to kill Rock Lee was interrupted by Naruto Uzamaki and Shikamaru Nara. But it was ultimately thwarted by Gui-sensei yet again. Gaara was absolutely infuriated. The man just wouldn't give up and let his pupil die. Even while lying in a hospital bed Rock Lee had the protection of friends and a lovingly devoted sensei. Gaara never had that. He long learned to fend for himself with all sorts of assassination attempts made on him.

Suddenly Temari and Rock Lee started kissing each other. Passionately. They rolled across the rocky to a more grassy area. After what must've been several minutes, but seemed a millennia in Gaara's eyes, they stopped. Rock Lee sat up breathing hard while Temari went about fixing her hair. She had a big smile on her face and looked very satisfied with the making out. Rock Lee soon smiled too. Then suddenly his face fell. He signalled for Temari to wait then disappeared.

Gaara realized that he was discovered. But he didn't run away.

"Spying again I see," Rock Lee said superiorly from behind Gaara, "really Gaara you have to give me and Temari our private time," he told Gaara.

"You expect real privacy in a forest with hundreds of vantage points for people; not just me, to watch you?" Gaara asked frankly.

Rock Lee paled. But he quickly recovered.

"That is not the point," Rock Lee declared, "you need to find someone else," he said firmly, "you know how I feel about you," he made sure to point out.

Gaara looked back at Rock Lee without answering.

Rock Lee hung his head and sighed.

"Why do you haunt me so?" Rock Lee asked suddenly.

Gaara was taken a back. Rock Lee had said it so softly that he could've just as easily missed it. But Gaara didn't miss it. He had heard every word.

"I haunt you," Gaara said calmly.

Rock Lee looked at Gaara. Gaara didn't have any emotions in his eyes or on his face. He was just like a living statue staring back at Rock Lee, not letting him know whether that was a statement or a question.

"Yes Gaara you haunt me," Rock Lee said deciding to be honest, "you've entered my nightmares, break up my good dreams, stalk me in reality," he listed.

"I won't do that anymore," Gaara said suddenly.

"What?" Rock Lee asked in surprise.

"I've long considered how to kill you," Gaara told Rock Lee, "but now, unless we cross that as a necessary path I'm not interested."

"But…but…" Rock Lee stuttered.

"Anymore paranoia will be on you," Gaara said simply, "Temari's waiting," he added.

Rock Lee looked over the edge to see Temari sitting down looking very agitated. Rock Lee gulped and turned back to Gaara.

"Um, you're going away right?" Rock Lee asked carefully since no matter how strong he got, Gaara always made him feel really uncomfortable.

"Goodbye," Gaara said in response emotionlessly.

"Goodbye," Rock Lee told him then went back to Temari.

Without turning to see what they were doing, Gaara left.

-----

(Two Months Later)

Gaara lay in bed staring at the ceiling.

It was nearly midnight but he didn't feel tired. He just lay there and thought. He no longer spied on Rock Lee. Sometimes he noticed Rock Lee giving him furtive looks. But Gaara paid them no attention. Rock Lee's sensei however did. Gaara had to make it clear several times over that he hadn't done Rock Lee anything. Times like that made him want to bury the bowl cut haired bastard.

He reached into his nightshirt and pulled out a picture. Gaara slowly ran his hand along the soft surface of the photograph. It was slightly warm from his own body heat and his green eyes just peered at the photograph with no emotion in them.

The picture was that of Rock Lee. Rock Lee was wearing his usual ninja clothes and smiling in this photograph.

Gaara looked at the photo for a while. Then he closed his eyes. Closed his eyes and imagined that Rock Lee was smiling, smiling right at him. Smiling at him and doing everything else Gaara wished that Lee would do for and to him. Everything.

Gaara then opened his eyes and turned over the photo. On the back were words. The original words were:

**To my yellow haired Goddess Temari.**

**Love Lee**

But Gaara changed that. He did it the night he stole the photo, which was how he first discovered that Temari and Rock Lee were dating. He even wrote it in Rock Lee's exact handwriting.

The words now read:

**To my red haired God Gaara.**

**Eternal Love Rock Lee.**

First Bullet Shot

QD: Not all stories will be about thwarted romances. 1 bullet shot 49 more bullets to go.


	2. B2: Hurt

50 Bullets 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Summary:

Hurt: Naruto finds out that Hinata's having an affair and is hurt. But who hurt who first? And is anyone left unscathed?

_**Bullet 2: Hurt**_

Naruto stood before Hinata. His eyes echoing his broken heart's question.

Why?

Naruto remembered what he had seen. What he wished he could unsee. Undo. Amend. But he couldn't. he couldn't change what happened.

_Neji and Hinata kissed each other hungrily. Both overflowing with desire and the want to make up for the long period that they had been apart. Neji had been away on a mission for six months. Six months neither cousin had seen each other's face._

_Now three days after returning they were at their usual secret place, making love under the moonlight. Mrs. Hinata Uzumaki and Neji Hyuuga (unmarried)._

_But tonight was different. Someone was watching. Two persons actually. One was Shino Aburame who had known about this location for some time. The other was twenty-five year old Hokage Naruto Uzumaki._

_Naruto could only watch as his kind and gentle wife for four and a half years made insane love to her own cousin. Her first cousin._

"When did you find out?" Hinata asked in a fearful small voice.

"A week ago," Naruto responded.

"How?" Hinata asked."

"Shino told me," Naruto revealed.

"What!" Hinata cried in disbelief, "but he…"

"Agreed to keep his promise of secrecy if you two would eventually break it off," Naruto stated, "you didn't so he took me to your love nest to see the betrayal myself."

"It's not what you think Naruto," Hinata said.

"I think it's so much more," Naruto said frankly.

"I'm sorry," Hinata said tearfully.

"Don't you dare cry," Naruto ordered, "not after having an affair," he hissed.

Hinata wrapped her arms around herself.

"You know I had a paternity test done on both our sons?" Naruto revealed.

"I should've told you everything," Hinata said sadly, "I love you Naruto, I will always love you," she told him.

"But you'll always love your cousin Neji first," Naruto said darkly.

"It's not like that Naruto," Hinata said desperately, "you don't know the full story," she told him.

"Full story?" Naruto asked and laughed, "do you think I want to hear more about this?" he asked incredulously.

"Please listen Naruto," Hinata begged, "if you love me, if you ever loved me, you'll hear me out," she pleaded.

"Are you daring to question my love for you?" Naruto asked coldly.

"Neji is my cousin I know," Hinata said instead of answering, "but we never intended for this to happen."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Naruto demanded.

"I remember years ago just before Neji got that fated mark," Hinata continued, "he smiled at me and I practically hid in the adult who stood beside me clothes', I was so shy," she recalled.

"You still are shy," Naruto noted, "well…"

Hinata sighed. Explaining was going to be harder than she thought.

"A week after he lost to you in your first match against each other, he spoke to me," Hinata recalled, "I was so frightened when I saw him, I…"

"_What do you want?" Hinata asked fearfully as she stepped back._

_Hinata could feel herself shaking. Even after everything she said during their match, she still feared Neji. She feared him a lot._

"_I want to talk to you," Neji said to her, "alone," he added._

"_Why?" Hinata asked in a tiny voice._

_Neji just stared at her. Her physical reaction betrayed all fear within her. Her eyes more so. Both orbs were filled with fear._

"_To say that I'm sorry," Neji said suddenly._

_Hinata froze._

_Did she hear right?_

"_I made a personal grudge get in the way of a match," Neji said._

_Hinata eyes fell. She actually thought that he was sorry for hurting her. How dumb could she get?_

"_But I'm sorry for hurting you more," Neji continued._

_Hinata's eyes widened in shock. Could she had heard right?_

"_Me?" Hinata asked._

"_You're still a shy little thing," Neji observed, "you were so even then," he recalled, "the day I got this cursed…" he said but stopped._

_A look of intense dissatisfaction came over his face._

_Hinata who was starting to feel safe felt fear crawling right back into her._

_Neji noticed and his eyes softened._

"_I just want you to know that I'm sorry for injuring you so badly," Neji apologized and turned to leave._

"_Wait," Hinata said after he started to gain some distance, "I accept your apology Neji," she told him._

"_Thank you," Neji said formally, "and Hinata."_

"_Yes Neji," Hinata asked._

"_You look pretty today," Neji said then disappeared._

_Hinata just stood there frozen in shock._

"I had rarely been given compliments by boys then," Hinata said with a small smile, "Sakurs, Ino, Tenten, and many other girls overshadowed me," she said sadly, "I was the one in the background."

"And Neji brought you from that background?" Naruto asked her.

Hinata looked away.

"He's your cousin Hinata," Naruto reminded her.

"Don't you think I know that!" Hinata exploded, "that probably eighty if not ninety percent of the civilized world would condemn us!" she shouted, "I love him!" she shouted at Naruto, "and I love you!" she told him, "even before Neji, you were the one I longed for."

"So what happened?" Naruto asked her.

"You took too long," Hinata responded, "chasing after Sakura…"

"She married Kiba," Naruto said coldly feeling offended.

"But still," Hinata insisted, "we both pined for someone who didn't even know or want to know your love for them existed."

"But I married you," Naruto said.

"And that's why it's so hard," Hinata said tearfully, "it's so hard but I can't stop," she said and broke down into sobs.

Naruto sat on the bed blindsided.

She loved him but couldn't stop having an extra marital affair with Neji! Shino had warned him that he'd have a hard time. But Naruto never expected this.

"Come here," Naruto said gently and Hinata looked at him still crying, "shhh," he said soothingly and took her into his arms.

As he hugged her and stroked her hair he remembered.

All those times Hinata would turn away when they were younger, how she'd fidget around him, her small voice getting smaller and more nervous, those cute grey eyes barely looking at him or downcast. All the opportunity and clues in the world that she liked him.

He then remembered the blushing and felt even more stupid. He made her wait. Made her pine for him while he chased a girl now woman who wanted to be with anyone but him. Sasuke had rejected her. Then Shino. Rock Lee had moved on with a girl from that Star village. Neji wasn't her type. Shikamaru was out. Choji was into her for looks only. Kiba liked her but she was scared of him. And he Naruto was the good knuckleheaded teammate she'd never fall in love with. In the end she chose Kiba. It seemed being scared was better to her than being with someone she wasn't interested in.

"This is all my fault," Naruto said suddenly, "I hurt you," he told her.

Hinata looked at Naruto completely shocked.

"I chased a whole flock of skirts instead of coming straight to you," Naruto said tearfully, "I made you had to choose your cousin or no one," he said feeling ashamed, "I made you two's relationship possible."

"I can't let you beat yourself up Naruto," Hinata said, "I married you, I had no right to have an affair," she pointed out.

"Do you think you could break it off now?" Naruto asked her suddenly, "break away from him cold turkey?"

Hinata looked away.

"This relationship has ventured too deep," Naruto said frankly, "and he hasn't found anyone else has he?" he asked her.

Hinata looked away and sighed.

"He had a small crush on Tenten," Hinata revealed, "but he was too nervous to explore it," she told him.

"Tenten died…" Naruto started.

"Before her eighteenth birthday," Hinata interrupted, "it hurt him so much Naruto," she said "I thought that he'd break under the pressure of guilt and pain."

"And you comforted him," Naruto said.

Hinata looked at Naruto like deer caught in the headlights (or a kid who looks up in time to see the sky raining kunai).

"It's okay," Naruto told her, "I don't care anymore," he said and lay down.

"Please don't leave me," Hinata pleaded.

"I'm not," Naruto told her, "just always come back to me, okay?"

Hinata looked at Naruto in disbelief.

"Are you serious?" Hinata asked him, "you'd let…"

"And if I stop it, what then?" Naruto asked angrily and sat up, "tell me that things won't change Hinata," he said, "tell me you won't resent me for taking Neji away," he said loudly.

"Things are already changing," Hinata said tearfully.

"Just promise that you will always be my wife Hinata," Naruto begged her.

Hinata broke into tears.

"I'll never leave you Naruto," Hinata promised and hugged her husband tightly, "I love you, I'll always love you," she declared.

Naruto hugged her back.

"Thank you," Naruto whispered.

------

(Three Weeks Later)

Hinata and Neji made love passionately.

Afterwards they lay side by side and remained silent for a while.

"Are you sure he's okay with this?" Neji asked carefully, "he's the Hokage Hinata," he said seriously.

"He feels it's better this way," Hinata said meekly, "besides," she continued, "this way no one gets hurt," she told him brightly.

Neji smiled still unsure about Hinata's last statement.

"You still want to go to the Rice Fair tomorrow?" Neji asked.

"Naruto wants to Neji," Hinata said pointedly, "I have to go."

"But that fair's stupid," Neji complained, "it's for little kids," he said, "Naruto's only there for the free ramen they give him id he hangs around," he muttered.

"We can visit the orchard another time," Hinata suggested.

"But it only blooms at that time," Neji stated, "you were with me last year," he reminded her.

"I'll take you there next year," Hinata said, "this year I owe Naruto everything."

Neji nodded understanding the position.

Hinata snuggled unto him and he wrapped his arms around her.

This scene so quiet so serene could only hurt the Hokage who was busy at a private club watching a flirty Ino strip for him.

Second Bullet Fired

QD: Next story involves no romance. 2 bullets fired 48 more bullets to go.

Bullet 8 will be a Hinata and Naruto romance. I'll be doing Neji and Hinata pairing before Bullet 10 that doesn't involve anyone disapproving of their relationship. Thank you to all who've reviewed 50 Bullets and those who've reviewed 'Wrong' as well. And yes I know it's possible that the Hyuuga clan marry relations to keep the bloodline pure.


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